HAMILTON, Don, Rev.

HAMILTON, HESLA

Posted By: K. Kittleson
Date: 5/18/2007 at 16:16:03

Rev. Don Hamilton was born in 1914, and attended school in New York City, at Omaha Municipal University in Omaha, Nebraska, and Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He graduated in 1948 from Luther. Don had served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

From 1948 until 1957 he served Central Lutheran Church in Dallas, Texas. He then served at First Lutheran church in St. Ansgar, Iowa from May 1957 until 1963.

While at First Lutheran, Don guided the congregation's plans to build a new parish center. He also had the job of converting the congregation to the use of no only a new hymnal, but an entirely new liturgy -- following the creation of the American Lutheran Church (ALC) from a number of different synods.

He married Arlene Marcella Hesla, and they had six children: Kathleen, Robin, Naomi, Brian, Patrice and Michael.

After leaving St. Ansgar in 1963, Don servedat the Lutheran bible camp at SPirit Lake, Iowa until 1966; he then served at Albion, Nebraska for a year; and then in 1967 he moved to Sacred Heart, Minnesota where he served at two different churches there.

Rev. Hamilton died on March 6, 1996, and he was buried in the Lebanon Cemetery, New London, Minnesota. Arlene died on July 8, 1997.

Based on a piece in the First Lutheran sesquicentennial booklet (2003).